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Top Ten Jobs in 2012

The job market has begun a decidedly ungraceful recovery: Jobs have been added to the economy for 18 straight monthsand several gauges are back at pre-recession levels, including jobless claimsand wage growth.But the job growth isn’t always as robust as many hope for and projections suggest it will likely take until at least 2014 to regain the millions of jobs lost during the recession.

If it’s one thing the recession has taught us it’s that not all job prospects are created equal. Job search portal CareerCastis out with their Best and Worst Jobs for 2012 and the jobs that have the best prospects — and those that have the worst — are a direct reflection of what’s going on in the economy.

“The jobs that continue to fare very well are those that fare the best in a tough economy – primarily information technology and health care,” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast’s 2012 Jobs Rated Report.

Interestingly, all the reports of shortages of skilled workers in these two fields hasn’t spurred more people to pursue them – in fact, it’s the opposite.

“The shortages are getting more acute!” Lee said.

For that reason, there’s also been an increase in demand for human resources – you need good HR people to find those skilled workers! HR Manager is new to the list this year, as is online advertising manager, reflecting the changing demands in the economy. And you need to offer incentives for those skilled employees to stay: Of the eight jobs that returned to the list again this year, all showed a pay increase compared to 2011.

So what makes a job one of the “best” jobs?

“The top-rated jobs have few physical demands, minimal stress, a good working environment and a strong hiring outlook,” Lee said.